Could overhead ultraviolet (UV) lights in workplaces and public spaces be used to prevent and kill airborne flu viruses in their tracks? Quite most likely sure, declare researchers at the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

For many years, scientists have identified that positive wavelengths of ultraviolet gentle are ready to successfully kill micro organism and viruses by means of destroying the molecular bonds that dangle them in combination. This form of UV gentle remedy is extensively used to decontaminate surgical apparatus. Unfortunately, it may possibly’t be used in public spaces as a result of this is a well being danger which can result in each pores and skin most cancers and cataracts. Fortunately, some way round this drawback will have been found out by means of Columbia scientists — and it comes to a kind of UV gentle referred to as far-ultraviolet C, often referred to as far-UVC.

“We are using a specific type of ultraviolet light to selectively damage viruses and bacteria while being safe for human exposure,” David Welch, an affiliate analysis scientist at Columbia, advised Digital Trends. “The physical basis of this lies in the limited penetration depth of far-UVC – it can damage viruses and bacteria which are very small in size, while it is unable to penetrate and cause damage to human cells which are much larger. Far-UVC is distinct from conventional UVC lamps which are dangerous because those wavelengths penetrate much further.”

In a learn about, the researchers demonstrated that far-UVC gentle can inactivate aerosolized viruses like the not unusual H1N1 pressure of flu the use of simplest very small doses of sunshine. The experiment concerned liberating H1N1 right into a check chamber and exposing it to low doses of far-UVC gentle, after which evaluating it to a chamber that used to be now not uncovered to the far-UVC gentle. The chamber uncovered to the gentle noticed the flu viruses deactivated with the similar potency as typical germicidal UV lights. What makes this additional thrilling is the indisputable fact that such far-UVC lamps value not up to $1,000 consistent with lamp — and this value would definitely be pushed down considerably had been they to be mass produced. In different phrases, this generation could be made to be had to the plenty.

“Our next steps are to continue our safety tests,” Welch endured. “Up to this point we have mainly looked at short term endpoints to determine damage, and these have all shown that far-UVC is safe. Future testing will extend this to examine the effects of exposure over a longer time period.”

A paper describing the paintings used to be just lately revealed in the magazine Scientific Reports.